Employees' passion, purpose evident

The 350 employees at Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter help more than 3,500 patients annually, and an additional 800 grief support clients in the Chicago area.

So it's very important that the nonprofit company makes sure its employees have the emotional strength and the necessary support to do their jobs well.

It appears it's succeeding.

Not only did Midwest CareCenter rank No. 32 among midsize companies on the Tribune's annual Top Workplaces survey, but the company also earned top honors in the meaningful job category. The survey was conducted by WorkplaceDynamics, an Exton, Pa.-based consultancy.

"Most, if not all, of the people who work here consider it almost a calling," said Jamie O'Malley, president and CEO of the company, which has two locations in Glenview and one in Arlington Heights but serves 150 communities throughout Illinois. "Many of our employees have had personal experiences taking care of families and want to help them face what they need to face. The passion and the purpose that they feel about the work is very evident."

But having a calling is one thing, and being on hand day after day to help terminally ill patients is another thing, so it is essential that Midwest CareCenter takes care of its own as well.

It does this by providing employees with a host of wellness programs and the space to take advantage of those services. Every week, the chaplain's staff, typically accompanied by a harpist or guitarist, leads a meditation in a facility garden or specially designed meditation room.

"It helps them connect with their purpose and passion, and have a refreshing sense of being," said Susan Martersteck, the chaplain.

It also has offered everything from Zumba to walking programs.

And at the beginning of the center's weekly planning meetings, the group honors those who passed away in that week.

"We encourage each other to grieve when someone they've cared for has passed away," O'Malley said. "We have a relationship culture. We try to appreciate each other, we try to look out for each other."

Midwest CareCenter offers bereavement services for hospice families, which are also available and encouraged for use by employees.

"This is about relationships — and the recognition that every life makes a difference, and we want our employees to feel this and live this," O'Malley said.

In order to be able to do their jobs successfully, and to be able to emotionally handle their positions, those working at Midwest CareCenter must be able to face death on a regular basis and accept it.

"In some ways, we are midwives for death," Martersteck said. "One of our physicians here often compares birth to death and how much they overlap. I consider it to be a sacred time. That's what I try to remind myself of when things get sad or stressful. This is all part of it."